The field of archery includes traditional archery, and crossbow archery. Many archery enthusiasts, both traditional and crossbow, manufacture or assemble their own arrows from components. The arrow shafts, on to which vanes or feathers are attached, are called bolts. Typically, arrows are manufactured with three or four plastic vanes or feathers which are generally fletched or attached to the bolt at 90.degree. separations for four vanes and 120.degree. for three vanes. To assist in the process of attaching the vanes or feathers to the arrow bolt, called "fletching," specifically designed fletching tools or "jigs" are commercially available for the enthusiast. The Bohning Professional Arrow Fletching Jig, sold by The Bohning Company, Ltd., Lake City, Mich., is an example of a commercially available fletching tool in which an arrow is inserted. The fletching tool has a rotating indexer component in which the nock end of a traditional arrow is inserted and which is engaged by the opening in the nock end. The rotating indexer is set to rotate in increments of either 90.degree. or 120.degree., thus putting the arrow bolt in position for fletching, or attachment of a vane or feather, at each specific interval.
Traditional archery arrows, and some crossbow arrows, are manufactured with a nock attached to the arrow bolt. The purpose of the nock is to engage the bow string or draw string and to maintain contact of the arrow with the draw string or bow string, which is the propelling force, when the arrow is shot. The existing art provides numerous examples of nocks and special adaptations of nocks for this purpose, including various methods of affixing the nock to the arrow bolt. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,020, to Bolf, describes an arrow which is arranged to threadedly receive a nock member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,747, to Laabs, describes a nock with a corresponding element which is attached directly to the bow string. U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,044, to Easton et al, describes an arrow nock containing a stiffener of light weight high strength material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,432, to Saunders, describes an arrow nock orientation assembly allowing the user to select a preferred orientation between a reference vane on an arrow or on an arrow bolt shaft and the bow string receiving slot of the arrow nock. U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,163, to Scanlon, describes an arrow nock with a cylindrical body member having a plug shaft extending axially, to one side, for insertion within an arrow shaft.
With particular regard to the attachment of a nock, by use of an adapter, to an arrow shaft, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,731, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,439, both to Bickel, specifically relating to the manner in which an arrow nock is mounted on an arrow shaft.
With regard, however, to crossbow bolts, no nock is utilized. A bolt cap having a planar surface perpendicular to the axis of the arrow, and of approximately the same dimension of the arrow, is placed in the end of the arrow shaft. Accordingly, there being no nock, there is nothing to engage the rotating indexer of a fletching tool or jig for fletching purposes.
While it is known, as indicated in the patents to Bickel, to insert an adapter within an arrow shaft, to receive a nock assembly, none of the prior art presented demonstrates such an adapter which, without the nock in place, presents a sufficient planar surface for engaging a bow string in the manner required of a crossbow bolt. Such prior art, further, though providing for potential replacement of a nock, does not provide a readily insertable and removeable nock, which would allow for a reasonable method of fletching a crossbow bolt. The prior art, further, does not provide, in any respect, for a method of adapting a fletching tool for use with nockless arrows. Accordingly, archery enthusiasts using standard crossbow bolts, do not have readily available devices, or methods, to fletch the same with the degree of certainty provided by a commercially available fletching tool or jig as is currently used in conjunction with a traditional, nocked arrow.
Accordingly, a need exists, and it would be desirable to provide a device for and a method of adapting a commercially available fletching tool for use in fletching crossbow bolts which, upon completion of the process provided by the disclosed method, such crossbow bolt is still in a condition to be shot by a crossbow.
It would further be desirable to provide such a device and method wherein the arrow bolt is held sufficiently in place for circular movement of the bolt about its longitudinal axis but, wherein, the means for engaging the bolt with the fletching tool, for fletching purposes, is not otherwise permanently, or semi-permanently, affixed.